First of all RED - i will call you whatever i like if you talk to me like a mug - end of, regardless of whatever advice you and i have shared via PM's - i dont suffer fools and if i have an issue i will take someone up on it. Secondly, like certain other nob heads on here, you like to take little pieces of someones reply and twist it into implying something else - as an example your stupid comment about my CSL being a shite car because it didnt have EDC and your latter comment inferring i was saying you might be jealous because you dont own a CSL - again a pathetic and pointless retort and quite obviously taken out of context. To anyone with a modicum of intelligence you would have seen that i was implying that you have never owned a CSL so how would you be able to compare the driving experience to anything else - i wasnt implying you might be jealous. Lets not forget that, like you, i also have an E92 M3 sat on my drive!!!
Ive also NEVER said that an M3 without EDC is not a brilliant car - so AGAIN why are you making such silly comments??? All i have ever said throughout this thread is that i personally believe EDC is an essential option. Funny how the ONLY people taking umbridge with this statement are those that didnt spec their cars with it - funny that eh!!? Anyway, enjoy your new car Red - just watch out for those potholes and speed humps!!!

My point was is that EDC is a VERY new option. Previous M3's have not had it and they were brilliant cars.

Its called progression and technological advancement!!!! Again as ive mentioned previously, there are BMW technicians out there that have worked day and night to develop this technology - so im assuming there is a fairly good reason as to why it was developed for this car.

I do not own a E92 M3 and have never driven one but I think this is an interesting debate and I there is more to it than just the items mentioned.

Porsche /Audi have there own versions of damper control systems and therefore BMW had a gap compared to the competition. Moving from the E46 to the E92 they have taken a strategy of trying to put a hefty price increase into this product i.e list £45,000 to £57,000 for a well specced car a +25% price increase which is a step change this time around.

To try to make this selling price increase stick they have upped the engine to 8 cylinder, more power and added options like the carbon roof, adjustable dampers, twin clutch gear boxes, etc. The market demanded this option to compete with the competion and produce a car that can edge towards everyday comfort or track use at a flick of a button.

This technology I am sure has been throughly developed and although I am sure it was expensive for BMW R&D to bring to market. They will role it out to the mainstreem models over the next few years and at £1,000 ago it's pay back will be a few years and then it will be a high margin optional item for them going forward.

Is it better or worse than steel springs, I guess you can have exactly the same debate manual vs twin clutch. IMO it's down to personal taste and how you may use the car. I have personal experience of my 987 Boxster steel sprung vs my dads 997 C2S PASM. I personally prefered the boxster as it had a more natural feel to me and was somewhere in the middle of the 997 settings which suited me perfectly for road use.

Will the M3 with the fancy springs be a desirable option. Short term probably but there may be a tipping point on say a 4-5 yr old car when the punter may worry about an expensive replacement if anything goes wrong compared to the conventional steel springs.

I am sure either way it's a fantastic car and I would be happy to own either version.

As always Gibbo buddy, thank you for your intelligent and thoughtful response. I think you are right in the fact that something like EDC may be desirable in the short term but may become less so in the long term in terms of cars out of warranty needing possible expensive replacement parts. I still urge anyone in the market for a new M3 to seriously consider and "properly" road test the EDC - worth every penny IMO.